Flour/Oil/Water Integration Error - Suggestions?

This is a basic sauce integration error. At it’s core, I made my flour/oil paste and cooked it until the desired color then I added my liquid WAY to fast and the oil/flour for the most part remained separated. Is there a way to save this and correct it?

More details: This was a gumbo roux, so it was cooked very thoroughly and dark. I refrigerated it overnight and the roux rose to the top and solidified because of the oil. I’ve taken that off and put it aside in the fridge. Should I try heating that up and adding liquid slowly, like normal?

I knew better and this was just a lapse in cooking judgement. Kind of mad at myself right now.

I usually add my liquid to the roux pretty quickly and it does usually kind of come apart but everything goes back together smoothly in short order after a little whisking/stirring. Did you heat everything back to the boil? I believe that is required for complete integration.

I would think that once you heat the soup back up that everything would go back together. Fat always goes to the top when you refrigerate soup.

Yes, it simmered for another 1.5 hours after adding the liquid. I normally start by adding a bit of liquid while whisking, then more and more and it goes quickly. This time I (stupidly) just added the whole pot to the roux. It never really came together. It wasn’t lumpy at all, just more like dark, slightly thicker oily bits of flavorful roux.

I expected the fat to come to the top, but this was more like a paste, which is probably the roux base. I may try heating just that up and gently adding liquid in while whisking and see what happens.

Sounds like the oil/flour ratio was too high. If the mixture is cold I would try to add some flour to the mixture and cook out the raw flour taste. Flour can be a tricky volume ingredient because of compaction and a tricky weight one by water absorption from the air.

I have to chime in to properly represent my state. :slight_smile:

I cook a roux in a cast iron skillet. I use a metal whisk and a long wooden spoon. The fat/oil ratio is equal. I stir for around 40 minutes continually, low heat, but not the lowest setting (gas is best).

I aim for a light-to-medium chocolate brown color of the roux. If you want a rich flavor, you want a darker roux color. However, the trade-off is less thickening effect from the roux in the gumbo. If you burn it, start over! You may have to do it a couple of times if it’s your first attempt. Continual stirring, low heat, and undivided attention are key. It’s really quite soothing. :wink:

I arrest the roux cooking process by adding the holy trinity. The veggies, added when you are satisfied with the color of the roux, will add enough water temporarily to cease the cooking of the roux… however, I still take the skillet off the heat for a moment to add the trinity. After stirring them in, I wait a minute or so before adding the water/stock.

Best of luck!

I think this is the answer. Thanks!

Normally, I go a little higher than 1:1 on the flour:oil ratio and this time I just kind of approximated the 1:1 and probably ended up without enough flour.

Regardless, the flavor is outstanding so I’m happy with the taste.

Drew, the technique you describe (adding the trinity to the roux to cool it down and using the liquid in the veggies) is the way I’ve done it in the past. Started changing it up a couple of batches ago (which I’ve liked better - until this one) and I think I just messed up the flour:oil ratio on this one.

Hey Drew, it’s not my state, but it’s currently my adopted state. And as such I’ve taken an interest in the cooking history here, and tried to learn what I can. Two questions:

The first is, when you say “the fat/oil ration is equal”, do you mean by weight or my volume? As noted above, compaction of flour makes a difference. Though, I’ve always done equal parts flour and oil by volume.

The second is, have you ever compared the results of a quick roux vs your 40 minutes recipe? I’ve only ever done a quick roux, based on a technique espoused the late Paul Prudhomme. With that technique you use equal parts flour/oil. Get skilled hot. Add oil, let it heat up until it’s smoking. Gradually add flour, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until you get the color you want, and then either remove from heat, or if you’re going to keep cooking, use the holy trinity to drop the temperature.

Granted you’ve got to pay much closer attention to it, especially if you’re going for a darker roux. If it looks like you’re going to lose it, got to be ready to remove from heat and stir like mad to get it back under control. But it’s worked pretty well for me and only takes 3-5 minutes, which is more my speed.

Where I’m curious is if the flavor profile of a darker roux made using that technique is any different from one that gets there more slowly. I can picture the slower one being more complex since it’s got more time to do stuff. But at the same time I wonder if the higher heat brings in different flavor profiles that wouldn’t otherwise be present in a slower roux.